Deep Breath
by Sayomina
Summary: Keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through. We'll make it through. Just stay strong. 'Cause you know I'm here for you. I'm here for you. There's nothing you could say. Nothing you could do. There's no other way when it comes to the truth. So keep holding on. 'Cause you know we'll make it through. We'll make it through
1. Chapter 1

Only one person knew from the beginning but slowly each family member learned the truth. The first person to learn the truth was the eldest brother

* * *

The experience of free falling is a rush of adrenaline. Every time. That's what Nightwing would tell you at least. This was one of those free falling adrenaline rushes. Nightwing smiled as lights blurred together and wind rushed as he sliced through the air, falling free as a bird. He glanced at Robin who was falling right next to him and gave a slight nod. Nightwing released hidden fabric in his suit and glided like a flying squirrel to a nearby rooftop, landing first. Robin grabbed the edges of his cape and pulled it tight, gliding to the same rooftop. He let go of his cape and tucked into a roll, except his didn't stop rolling until he was laying on his side, coughing. Nightwing rushed over as Robin slowly got up, still coughing. The eleven year old pushed Nightwing away and turned his back to his older brother. He fumbled to open one of the pockets in his belt, his coughing getting worse.

Time seemed to stand still for Nightwing as a small blue object fell from Robin's hand and clattered onto the ground. Slowly Nightwing knelt down and picked it up. Robin didn't notice when Nightwing placed his inhaler back in his hand. His thoughts were more focused on the fact that he couldn't breathe. A fact he hated its existence. Nightwing guided Robin to the point where the boy could get his dose of medicine from the inhaler. Nightwing kept hold of the inhaler as Robin's hand dropped to his side. The older brother watched as the younger took deep breaths and tears started sliding out from under his mask. Noticing this, Nightwing pulled his brother into a gentle hug, rubbing the little bird's back.

Once Robin had relaxed Nightwing pulled back and looked directly at him, his hands resting on his shoulders.

"Hey…" Nightwing wasn't entirely sure what to say to Robin. His brother had kept something important from him.

"Please don't keep me from patrol," Robin whispered, nearly starting to cry again.

Nightwing hugged him again, almost crying himself, "Dami… please never keep something like this from me again. Promise me," His heart was aching with hurt and the need to care for his brother.

"I promise…"

* * *

An older brother takes the youngest under his protective wing, always watching with a loving eye. Unbeknownst to the elder brother, the butler watches approvingly

* * *

 **Before you all ask why and how Damian has asthma, I will answer in a later chapter**. **This chapter was vague for a reason and the next chapter or two may also be vague. It's to build up for daddy bats to find out. Anyways, please review. And until next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

Time had passed since the eldest found out. Then the third brother found out.

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"Alright, Nightwing and I will go in from the front, Red Robin, Robin, you two go in from the back," Batman said. The four were standing on the rooftop of a nightclub. They were going to bring in a gang. Robin followed Red Robin as they jumped down to the back entrance of the nightclub. Silently, the two brothers slipped inside. The air was laden thick with cigarette smoke. One breath of it and Robin could feel his airways start to close. The painful tightness in his chest. He pursed his lips trying hard not to cough. If he coughed they would be in trouble. But he didn't know how long he would be able to hold out for. Getting his inhaler wasn't an option either.

Red Robin frowned slightly as he noticed Robin looked like he was in pain. The older brother typically wouldn't care what was wrong with the Mini bat but when Robin clutched his chest like that's what was causing him pain, he knew exactly what was wrong.

Red Robin dragged Robin into a broom closet and pulled the emergency inhaler from his belt. He didn't know if Robin had his own inhaler so his emergency one would do. Red Robin knelt down so he was on a more eye level with Robin. Robin couldn't exactly protest as Red Robin brought the inhaler up and helped him take a breath from it.

Afterwards Red Robin waited patiently for Robin to get back to normal breathing.

"You probably think less of me know," Robin muttered looking away.

"Hey, I don't think any different of you. Why would I?" Red Robin asked.

"Because I'm weak," Robin stated coldly.

Red Robin sighed, "I have minor asthma. I have a dry powder preventer inhaler that I use to keep my asthma down, but even so I keep an emergency relief inhaler in my belt just in case."

Robin looked at Red Robin surprised. Yes he knew Red Robin was weak and got sick frequently but he didn't realize they had a common weakness. Even if their cases were different, it was still similar.

"Just so you know, I keep my relief inhaler in the third pocket to the right," Robin said after a moment of silence.

Red Robin smiled faintly and nodded, "I'll remember that, just in case."

"Batman and Nightwing are probably wondering where we are," Robin said.

"We can just wait outside and tell them you had an asthma attack," Red Robin said.

"No!" Robin blurted, "I mean, I'd rather not," He wasn't ready to tell his father about his asthma.

"Okay, I get it if you don't want to tell them right away. We can tell them I had an asthma attack. They both already know about my asthma," Red Robin offered a solution.

Robin nodded and the two walked outside together.

* * *

The eldest brother figured out what had happened and discussed it with the third brother. The two decided to let the youngest take his time. They both missed the approving nod from the butler.

* * *

 **There we go. Another chapter done. As for why Tim has asthma, he is already weak and gets sick easily so it wouldn't be unlikely that he has minor asthma as well. The last two chapters have been with the bat brothers in costume. This next one will not be. And yes, I did Tim before Jason on purpose even though age wise Jason would go before Tim. Anyways, please review. Every review means a lot to me. Until next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

The two brothers that knew had planned on talking with the youngest but by the time they made their move to approach them he had disappeared

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Thunder rumbled and rolled outside as rain pounded on the roof. Jason was in his kitchen in his small apartment in the narrows making himself instant ramen. He had already decided he wasn't going out on patrol tonight since it was pouring rain. As he was taking his plastic bowl of ramen to his couch there was a knock at the door. He frowned. Not many people knew about this specific apartment of his, and most of those that did never bothered to knock or even use the door. He set his ramen on his glass coffee table before getting up and answering the door.

To his surprise the Demon brat was standing there, soaking wet with a waterproof backpack, "What do you want Demon Brat?" He questioned coldly. Damian wasn't one to just show up in civilian clothes. Typically the kid went to Dick.

"I need a place to stay for a night or two. Away from everyone else. Please don't kick me out back in the rain. I didn't know where else to go," Damian said, "And I brought a peace offering of Pennyworth's cookies," He added quickly.

The kid sounded desperate for a place to stay. And he did bring some of Alfred's cookies. Jason ushered him inside and had him stand on the tile in the kitchen, "Do you have any spare changes of clothes?"

Damian shook his head. In his rush to get out of the manor he had forgotten to pack any clothes other than his spare uniform.

Jason sighed, "Stay, I'll be right back," He walked to his room and found the smallest shirt and sweat pants he had. He returned to Damian and couldn't help pity the shivering kid. He had the kid the clothes, "Go take a shower," He didn't exactly want the kid getting a cold.

Damian shuffled off to Jason's bathroom where he took a shower.

Jason went back to his bowl of ramen while Damian showered. He tried to figure out why Damian had come to him of all people. Yeah the kid said he needed to get away from people but the two of them practically hated each other. Jason got up when he heard the shower get turned off. He walked into his kitchen and heated up a mug of water before throwing another bowl of instant ramen in the microwave. He added honey and lemon juice to the mug of water. When the ramen was done he grabbed a fork and took the ramen and honey lemon water into the living room. He found Damian sitting on the armchair, holding his backpack close. Those clothes looked big on the small kid, making Jason realize how small Damian actually was.

He set the ramen and water in front of Damian on the coffee table, "You're going to eat and drink all of that, okay?" He said. Jeez, here he was mothering Damian. If he wasn't careful he'd turn into Dick.

Damian nodded and moved to pick up the mug only to get hit in the face with a blanket.

"And wrap that around yourself," Jason said, walking towards the bathroom. Yep, he was turning into Dick.

Jason took a shower and got ready for bed. He planned on calling it an early night. After his shower he checked on Damian. The mug and bowl were gone. Jason presumed Damian had cleaned up after he had eaten. The kid was currently curled up on the couch asleep, with his bag on the coffee table. Jason nodded slightly in approval before heading off to bed himself.

*poof of minor time skip*

Jason bolted up right, nearly falling off his bed when he heard a shout that sounded like Damian. He stumbled to his feet then hurried to the living room, turning the light on. He let out a sigh of half relief. Damian was whimpering slightly and tossing and turning. The kid was just having a nightmare. Jason was about to turn off the light and head back to bed when he heard Damian start to cough. He rushed over to the kid's side.

Jason shook Damian a bit, "Hey, kid, wake up, it's just a nightmare, you don't need to go choking and dying because of it," He was actually worried. If Damian died then everyone would blame him.

Damian opened his eyes slightly and tried to reach for his bag as he coughed more. Between the panic from his nightmare and Jason's less than quality apartment air his asthma had been triggered. He couldn't breathe. He stopped coughing as there was no air left to allow him to be coughing and tried gasping for air.

This was when Jason realized something serious was actually going on. He noticed Damian try and reach for his bag and grabbed the bag. The older brother tried not to panic as he dug through his bag. That's when he found Damian's inhalers. And yes, he knew the difference between a relief inhaler and a preventer inhaler. He had spent enough time with Tim, especially since Tim came to him often when the slightly younger brother needed some time to relax or recover.

Jason put one hand under Damian's head and lifted the boys head slightly. Tim had taught him what to do when someone with asthma had an attack and couldn't use their relief inhaler themselves. He was glad he didn't have to guess the dose though because when he gave Damian a dose of the relief medicine from the inhaler, it was obviously controlled.

Jason relaxed when Damian gasped and started taking deep breaths. He waited for the kid to get to the point where he was breathing normally.

Damian didn't say anything to Jason. He didn't know what to say.

Then Jason ruffled Damian's hair, "Next time warn me if you have a medical condition that might result in death," He said with a bit of a playful grin.

Damian relaxed, "Thank you," He said quietly.

"Thank Tim next time you see him. He was the one that taught me what to do," Jason said picking up Damian.

Damian was surprised, "What are you doing?"

"You get to sleep with me kiddo. I don't need you having another nightmare or attack tonight somewhere where it takes me a minute to get to you," Jason said, walking to his room, albeit it was very messy he maneuvered to the bed easily.

Jason set Damian on his bed and the boy turned his back away from him. Jason sighed as he got into bed, He lay on his back looking up at the white yet shadowed ceiling. After a few minutes he felt Damian snuggle up to his side and couldn't help but smile

* * *

The Acrobat was the first to find out. The Detective was the second to find out. The Marksman was the third to find out and took The Assassin under his protective wing. At least until he didn't have to keep the Mini Bat around anymore. Little Wing made sure Big Bird and Little Bird knew the Mini Bat was safe. Now all they had to do was tell the big bad Batman, something all three brothers had come to the conclusion would be hard since it was obvious the youngest didn't want to tell his father. So for now, the acrobat, the detective, and the marksman kept the secret to themselves. Except they didn't know a certain butler knew about everything

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 **And that conclude the very fluffy chapter where Jason finds out about Damian's asthma. In the next chapter I will stop being so vague. I promise. Anyways. Thank you for all the reviews! I read every one of them and I think all of you that have reviewed so far are wonderful sweethearts. As always, please review for this chapter. Until next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Where is he? Where is Damian?" Bruce said with a cold and demanding tone. His eyes were narrowed in. Damian hadn't been at the manor in two weeks. Nor had Bruce seen him on patrol. Bruce was worried about his son. Then he found out Dick and Tim knew where Damian was. Every time he tried to bring up Damian though Dick and Tim always found a way to avoid the subject. Now, Bruce had cornered his two sons in the batcave.

"Bruce…" Dick said a bit quietly.

Tim was too flustered to say anything.

"Where is my son!?" Bruce snapped. Something must've happened. Damian must've been hurt.

Dick and Tim flinched, not saying a word.

Bruce glared at them in silence for a few minutes before a small yet very familiar voice spoke up.

"Right here father."

Bruce turned around to see Damian standing a few feet away with Jason. Jason had his hands resting on Damian's shoulders.

That's when it clicked. Damian hadn't gone missing, or been injured, or kidnapped. He had run away.

Slowly Bruce sunk down to his knees, "Damian… what did I do wrong?"

Damian swallowed. He didn't know if he was ready to tell his father. Jason gave his shoulders a reassuring squeeze as Tim and Dick made their way over to stand next to Damian. There was a moment of silence.

"I believe Master Damian left because he was afraid of what you would do if you found out," Alfred said calmly, going over to the group.

Dick, Jason, and Tim looked at Alfred, shocked as they hadn't known that he knew. Bruce was confused. Damian just nodded a bit. Alfred was right after all.

"Found out about what?" Bruce asked, wanting to know.

Damian started to panic a bit. How was he supposed to tell his father? How was his father going to react? What if he was permanently pulled from patrol?

The moment his breathing shortened Tim, Jason, and Dick were all kneeling in front of him.

"Deep breaths try and stay calm. Panic and anxiety can cause an attack," Tim said in a soft tone.

"I'm here if you need help," Jason said, rubbing Damian's arm.

"It's going to be okay mini bat. We're here." Dick said soothingly.

Damian relaxed, taking deep breaths.

Bruce looked at Alfred confused.

"Master Damian will tell you in his own time," Alfred said to Bruce.

Damian moved past his brothers and walked over to his father. They looked at each other for a moment before Damian hugged Bruce. Bruce gently hugged Damian back. After a few minutes Damian pulled away from the hug a bit.

Damian took a deep breath, "Father…" He said quietly, "I have asthma,"

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 **Cliffhanger! Because I wanted to write at least one more chapter for this. Anyways, thank you for all the reviews so far and please review for this chapter. Until next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

A silence crept through the bat cave as Damian's whispers faded away. No one knew what to say.

Damian took a step back, his muscles tensing like he was about to run away. He turned around when Bruce grasped his wrist and pulled him close into a hug.

Damian froze, unsure what this meant.

"Damian…" Bruce said quietly, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I… I was afraid you would never allow me on patrol again, because I'm weak," Damian admitted.

"I don't think you are weak Damian. You kept this from me the entire time and I've never seen you have problems on patrol. If anything you are strong," Bruce said.

"Really?" Damian asked.

Bruce nodded, "Yes."

"Thank you father," Damian said quietly, hugging his father.

"Now, this doesn't mean I'm letting you off easy for not telling me about this," Bruce said sternly once they had let go, "All four of you are grounded from patrol from the rest of the week."

Damian nodded, understanding.

"Say what?!" Jason was upset, "You can't keep me from patrol. That's not fair!"

"What's not fair is that the three of you assisted Damian in keeping his secret from me," Bruce countered.

"Bruce has a point," Tim said.

"In my opinion Jay and I are too old to be grounded," Dick said.

"Think of it as a recovery week or a vacation. None of you will be going on patrol after all. Including Master Bruce," Alfred stated.

"Now hold on Alfred," Bruce cut in.

"I think that's fair enough," Jason said, Dick nodding in agreement, "If Bruce doesn't get to go either than its all equal."

Bruce tried and failed to protest.

Damian had moved away a bit from the group.

Alfred walked over to where he was standing, "It is good to see you opening up to your father more," The kind butler said.

"It's something that needs to happen," Damian responded.

"Indeed it is sir, indeed it is," Alfred stood next to Damian, with a hand on the young boy's shoulder while they watched the others.

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 **And that was most likely the last chapter. Sorry it is so short, my ideas and inspiration for this kind of ran dry. If you have any ideas on what kind of other things you would like to see for this story please let me know and I'll take the ideas into consideration. Thank you everyone for your support. Until next time.**


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